Kiss of no return
by xy92
Summary: Hitsugaya and Karin exchange souls through a kiss... caused by Mayuri. how will they turn back? how will they adapt to life in each other's identities? ...this is my first fanfic, so be nice? pls review.
1. How it all begins

It was a dark and stormy night. An ominous giggle can be heard throughout the 12th division.

Mayuri Hirotsuchi, 12th division's captain, stared at his latest invention, and giggled once more.

"Finally, it's done! My greatest invention!" he exclaimed. Lightning flashed, casting half of his face in light, to be consumed once again by darkness. The thunderous roars of heaven were in sync with his irrepressible giggles.

"Why didn't you on the lights, Mayuri-sama?" his fu-taichou-cum-daughter, Nemu Hirotsuchi asked, switching on the lights at the same time.

"Dumb girl, totally ruined my bad-ass atmosphere," he muttered, blinking his eyes furiously. Nemu cocked her head to one side, looking puzzled._ Oh well, at least now I have someone to gloat to._

"Look at this!" he exclaimed, holding up a small computer chip between his thumb and forefinger. "This chip has the ability to change a person's soul into another when the two are simultaneously in contact with this chip! The chip will take a sample of each individual's spirit particle and forcefully inject it into the other party. It will then act as a catalyst to the replication, transcription and translation of the spirit particle. Soon, all the soul's spirit particles will be the duplicate of the other soul's, and vice versa! The best thing is that the soul will be an exact replica of the original, in terms of appearances, abilities and traits! Isn't it marvellous?"

"Does it work on everything, Mayuri-sama?" she asked innocently.

"Don't ask stupid question, girl! Of course it works! It's my invention! I've tested it on some of the minions, and it worked perfectly! They even retained their own memories and thinking abilities!" he snapped.

"As…as expected of the great Mayuri-sama!" she gushed.

"However, what I really what to do is to test it on humans. Appearances of souls change, but what of their bodies? And what will happen if a shinigami and a human touches this at the same time? So many questions, but how to get the answers?"

"Why don't you experiment on the shinigamis that goes to the human world?"

"Yes, I know! Why don't I experiment on the shinigamis that goes to the human world!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

"That's what I…"

"Be quiet, girl, can't you see I'm thinking?" he snapped at his daughter. "Now, the question is, who to be a guinea pig? He or she must be a person of whose behaviour is relatively unique, observable and predictable. The reaction after this experiment has to be rather obvious, so preferably the person should be of high status for us to take notice, and the person must also have a bad temper. Who fits all these criteria?" he mused aloud.

"I know! How about…"

"I know! The chosen one is…" lightning and thunder strikes again as Mayuri grinned "Hitsugaya-taichou."

Somewhere in the 10th Division, a little white haired boy sneezed.


	2. A Gift of Suspicious Origins

(_PS. Sorry I uploaded the previous file that is incomplete. This is the real one)_

Thanks for the great reviews! I'm really encouraged by all your responses!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own bleach. Obviously.

(I'm supposed to do this right? Sorry I didn't put this in the 1st chap.)

"Hitsugaya-taichou!" An eerie voice called out, sending shivers down Hitsugaya's spine. The eerie voice belongs to a eerie taichou.

_This can't mean anything good, _thought the boy-genius. ( Well, it doesn't take a genius to guess that)

"Yes, Kurotsuchi-taichou, what is the matter?" Hitsugaya turned and fixed the captain of the 12th division with his patent cold stare.

"Oh, not much, just that I've heard a rumour about you. In the human world." Mayuri gave Hitsugaya his patent creepy mask-grin.

The mask-grin won. Hitsugaya was thrown of by his comment, thus breaking his cold stare to a surprised one, but he quickly regained his composure. If you were not watching him carefully, you would have thought that you had imagined Hitsugaya, Mr-Cool-and-Composed, being surprised for the tiniest second. But Mayuri saw and his grin grew bigger.

"Oh, really. What have you heard." the young captain asked, struggling to keep his cool. _He couldn't be talking about…_

"You've been playing _soccer._ With a _human girl._ _Kurosaki's sister,_ no less," Mayuri replied. He grinned. Again.

Hitsugaya tried to control the blush he felt was breaking out. And failed.

Flustered, he asked," Who told you that?' Then he answered his own question. "Matsumoto!" (For a genius, he's a little slow.)

"It's amazing what a little sake can do, isn't it? Almost the whole of Seireitei knows about it," he replied. Grinning.

_I'm going to kill her when I get back! This time, for certain!_ Hitsugaya vowed.

It was so fun to watch this cocky kid squirm. But time to put him out of his misery. Or maybe, to begin it.

"Well, I think that there's nothing wrong with it! Soccer is, according to my research, a highly strategic and physically rigorous sport. It is a sport befitting of a captain! I am going to suggest to the Soutaichou about holding a soccer tournament for the captains!"

Relieved at being offered an excuse to salvage his pride and image, Hitsugaya slipped back on a mask of composure. He arched one eyebrow, giving Mayuri a so?-I-couldn't-care-less look.

_Damn kid. _Mayuri smiled patiently. _I'll get satisfaction making you my test subject._

"Well, I am going to give each of the captains a soccer ball each to practice. You're lucky; you're the first to receive this soccer ball I made myself. It has a auto roll back function. It'll come back to you when you call it." he explained excitedly.

_Well, Kurosaki is always complaining about what a hassle retrieving the ball is,_ thought Hitsugaya, not realizing that he immediately thought of Karin when he saw Mayuri give a demonstration. He grunted non-commitedly, gave a 'whatever' face, and held out his hand for the ball.

Mayuri gave Hitsugaya the soccer ball and watched him walk away. As he did so, he pressed a small remote controlled. A LED flashed ominously on the underside of the soccer ball. He smiled. _I__'__ve got him, hook, line and sinker, _he giggled inwardly.

As Hitsugaya walked away, he looked at the soccer ball he held with his two hands. He could still feel Mayuri's stare on him, and shivered again. He sighed, and Karin's face flashed into his mind. He blushed, and slapped himself in his mind. He sighed once again.

"What has gotten into me?" he muttered, but no answer came.


	3. The Exchange

"What has gotten into me?"

This question flashed in Karin's mind as she took her eyes away from the ball to look behind the field for the umpteenth time. She was looking in the direction where Hitsugaya always came from. She shook her head to clear away redundant thoughts and tried to focus on the game, only to realize that the opposing team has already passed her and has scored. Stunned for a second, she became angry with herself for being distracted.

"Gomen-ne, I'll take a break first," she called out to her teammates, who were staring at her, worried. Kurosaki never takes a break. She never lets the other team score. What was wrong with her?

Karin walked to the slope that led to the field and sat down. She glanced once more behind the field and sighed. She looked at the bruise on her knee that was caused by the middle schoolers the other time. She was fine now, but the bruise would remain for a few more days. The sight of this bruise jerked back the memory of Hitsugaya appearing when she… when her group needed him the most. A flush crept up her cheeks at the thought of Hitsugaya's concerned face. She shook her head again, and asked herself once more,

"What has gotten into me?"

* * *

The same question appeared in Hitsugaya's mind as he walked towards the soccer field, holding Kurotsuchi's soccer ball. He had made a mental promise to not come back after that game. He was only helping Kurosaki's sister. She was injured, the opponents were bigger, and he could not stand the unfairness. But why was he walking there again? Even as these thoughts flashed past his mind, his legs were bringing his confused body to the soccer field. The thought of seeing Karin again made him feel happy and nervous. Why? He mentally slapped himself as he saw that the others at the field had spotted him and was making their way towards him.

"What has gotten into me?"

* * *

Their eyes met each other at the same instant, teal on black. And both instantly turned away, their faces red. After some mental-slapping and head-shaking, they were able to face each other relatively well.

"Toshiro-kun, you're late!" scolded Karin.

"I don't remember making any promises. Be thankful that I came," said Hitsugaya. Normally, he could not stand people calling him Toshiro-kun, or worse, Shiro-kun. It feels as if they were not taking him seriously, judging him only by his age. But somehow, when Kurosaki calls him that, it feels natural. Maybe because they appeared to be of similar age, maybe because she was not related to the spirit world, maybe…

"Here, use this ball," he told Karin.

"Thanks, but in case you haven't notice, we already have a ball," she replied, rolling her eyes at him.

A vein popped from Hitsugaya's forehead. "Weren't you the one who always complained about how troublesome it is to have to retrieve the ball? This has an auto roll back function. Use it, then," he explained, irritated. He tossed the ball to her with one hand, with the other in his pocket, while looking at the opposite direction.

_He… he was thinking of me…_ Karin thought, feeling a blush creeping up on her again.

"What are you doing? Let's go," Hitsugaya paused, in his tracks, turned back and looked at her.

Flustered, she muttered, "A..arigatou…"

"What?"

"N…nothing! I'm going to kick your ass!" she exclaimed, kicking the ball into the field and running after it. Her smile went unnoticed by Hitsugaya, who stood there looking at her back, puzzled.

* * *

"This is going nicely," said Mayuri, watching them play through the hidden camera he installed in the soccer ball. Although it was a little disturbing to watch the footage. Sky one moment, grass another. Sky, grass, sky, grass… He was getting a bit dizzy just watching the ball spin. He should have chosen a better object, one that doesn't require it to roll.

"Oh well, time to put my plan into action," he said excitedly, as he took out a controller with a joystick and stared at the screen in anticipation, like a boy playing his playstation and was about to face the final boss. He giggled.

* * *

Karin dribbled the ball, maneuvering beautifully pass two opponents. Hitsugaya, being on the opposing team, rushed forward to stop her. Karin grinned, and was about to pass to her teammate when an incredible thing happened. Just as her foot was about to make contact with the ball, it _shivered_, and rolled away slightly. Her foot making contact with air, she lost her balance and started falling backwards. Her eyes widen in horror and in shock.

Hitsugaya saw that Karin was about to fall, and instinctively, reached out to grab her.

He caught hold of her arms, but before he had the chance to stabilize her, the ball leapt up and thumped itself against Hitsugaya's back, knocking of his balance and pushing him forward.

As they hit the ground, their mouths met. An electric current seemed to run through their bodies. It may be due to the kiss that they felt this way, but it may also be due to the fact that one of their foot were touching the soccer ball, which contained, the chip that changes the soul. (you've already guessed it, didn't you?) They felt a surging warmth in their bodies, and lost conciousness for a moment.

Hitsugaya opened his eyes, and stared straight into a pair of brilliant teal eyes.

Karin awoke, to find herself staring at a pair of eyes the color of night.

A stunned silence.

Minutes passed.

Finally, realization kicked in.

They broke away from each other, eyes widen with shock, and ran away from each other in the opposite direction.

The rest of the people in the field stared at them, speechless and stunned. Did they just witness Hitsugaya and Kurosaki…KISSING?!

* * *

"Yes! Did it work? Did it work?" asked Mayuri in excitement after successfully maneuvering the ball to make them get in contact with the ball. As this time actual bodies were involved, he suspected just touching the ball would not be sufficient, so maybe physical contact between the two subjects is needed.

He was still congratulating himself when he saw a boy pick up the ball from the screen.

"Mo, this is so boring without the two of them. Where the hell did they run off to?" he complained, and kicked the ball. Mayuri stared in horror as the boy's feet seemed to get larger and larger, then all he could see from the screen is fuzz.

The boy has coincidentally kicked at the exact spot the camera was placed, shattering the only link Mayuri had to the human world.

An agonizing cry echoed throughout Seireitei.


	4. The Begining of A Nightmare

HItsugaya ran and ran, thoughts rummaging through his head. _It can't be… I must have seen wrongly… it can't be…_ He ran until his side hurt, and he stood along a line of shops, panting and gasping for air. He looked around to get his bearings, and that was when he caught sight of his reflection in the glass pane of the shop. Or rather, Karin's reflection. He turned, and reached out to touch the glass. The reflection also extended her hand towards him.. The puzzled black eyes reflected his own confusion. There was no doubt. He was Karin. _What in heaven's name is going on?_ He slowly backed away from the display pane and ran once more, to the place where he always went to whenever he felt lost and confused.

* * *

Karin ran along the riverside, without any destination in mind. She thought back to just now. She was sure that she had seen black eyes. Eyes that belonged to her. Didn't it? She slowed down to a trot, then decided to looked into the river. Teal eyes stared back at her. She gasped, and the reflection, _Hitsugaya's_ reflection, gasped too. She knelt down, a finger trembling, to touch the reflection. A ripple ran across the water's surface, distorting Hitsugaya's face. _That's me…I'm Toushiro-kun…_ She sat down on the grass, mind whirling. _What the hell is going on?_ She stood up, and ran once more, this time with a destination in mind.

* * *

Hitsugaya reached the place where he always went to watch the sunset. He was surprised to see that someone was already there. That place has always been deserted, one of the reasons he liked going there. It was a white haired boy, around his height and age. The boy turned. And he found out that the boy _was_ him. Unnerved by the striking eyes, he was shocked and stunned into silence. Until he heard the tentative question, asked in his voice, "To…Toushiro-kun?"

* * *

It has been weird seeing a girl that looked exactly like her, to say the least. The girl's expression mirrored her thoughts. She looked like Hitsugaya, so maybe the one that looked like her was… and only he would know about this place. She summoned up all her courage, and asked, "To…Toushiro-kun?" to be answered a moment later with a hesitant, "Ku…Kurosaki?"

* * *

They stared at each other, looking at a face they have seen in a mirror for years. Moments passed in silence. And a the same instant, they opened their mouths.

"Toushiro-kun, what the hell is going on?"

"How in heaven's name would I know? I was going to ask you that!"

"What? How would I know?"

"And what makes you think I did?"

"Well, perhaps because you are a shinnigami? And a taichou at that."

"How does that make me responsible for what happened?"

"Oh let's see, because nothing like this happened before YOU came along! No one switches bodies because of a kiss, do they?"

Hitsugaya was thrown off for a moment, and asked tentatively, "So... you mean… you've kissed someone before?"

Karin blushed, and Hitsugaya's face turned and adorable red.

"No, you jerk! That…that was my first kiss," she mumbled.

For some inexplicable reasons, Histugaya felt relieved and embarrassed at the same time.

The atmosphere turned awkward. Silence once again reigned.

"Maybe we should do that again," said Hitsugaya thoughtfully.

"WHAT! You pervert!" It was really quite amusing to see Hitsugaya's body use a shrill voice and scream that..

"No, no, what I mean is, maybe that kiss has somehow caused all this. Maybe when a living body did that with a gigai this reaction would occur. So maybe to reverse it all we have to do is to… urm…kiss again," he explained bashfully.

Karin thought over it. It seemed to be the only available solution.

"Okay, but make it quick. If it doesn't work I'm going to kill you!" she threatened, trying to hide her embarrassment. Really, it was very amusing seeing Mr-Cool-and-Composed so embarrassed and flustered.

_Well, it'll be her own body she's killing_, he thought. "Okay, here goes," he said and took a step forward. (Imagine a girl holding a guy 's shoulders, with resolution on her face. And imagine the guy screwing his eyes shut, acting like he's a girl waiting for her first kiss.)

Seeing your own body belong to another was weird enough. Kissing your own body brings weirdness to a whole new level. But the thought that it was really Karin/Hitsugaya they were kissing brought a red tinge to their face. An electrical sensation ran through them, along with the feeling of floating above the skies. _Maybe it succeeded_, thought Karin as she opened her eyes. Black eyes stared back at her. Again.

They broke apart and started arguing again. After they tired themselves out, they sank to the ground, too tired to argue. Then Karin had a brainwave.

"We could try propelling the souls out with that candy you always use!"

"Great idea, Kurosaki!" Hitsugaya exclaimed. _This might actually work_, he thought excitedly as he gaye Karin one of the candy. _Or maybe not_, he thought, dismayed, as he saw a soul wearing the cape of the tenth division emerged out of his body. He sighed. Karin returned to her, or perhaps, his body and sighed too.

"For the time being, we have to act as each other until we find a solution or a culprit out," Hitsugaya said, thinking of all the ribbing he'll get if Matsumoto ever found out that something like this had happened.

"I agree," Karin replied, thinking of how her father and brother will kill Hitsugaya if they knew.

Of course, it was the kissing they were referring to, not the exchange of the souls.

"Anyway, tell me what I have to know to pretend as you," said Hitsugaya, hand running through the thick raven hair. Karin quickly told him the essentials. Hitsugaya nodded his head as she shot off the facts, absorbing the information. When she was done, Hitsugaya stood up and started to leave. "Wait," Karin called out, "You haven't told me anything about your side yet!"

Hitsugaya turned and smiled. "Oh don't worry. There's a live guide residing in your body right now. It'll tell you what to do," he said, walking away.

_What the heck did he mean, _she wondered as a voice in her head spoke to her.

_What he meant, dear, is me, _said Hyourinmaru, and the image of a grinning ice dragon flashed in her head.

_Oh dear._

_

* * *

_

All i can say is, this has been a hard (and confusing) chapter to write.


	5. Hyourinmaru, Matsumoto and Paperwork

so sorry this chapter came so late. I was stuck for a bit. Hope you like it!

* * *

Karin's vein pulsed.

_OhmygodIjustcan'tbelievethatyouandthatlittlebratkissed! Evenmoreamazingyou'veexchangedsouls! Ohmygod!Thatbrathasalwaysbeensoimmatureyouwouldneverhavethoughthewouldeverevenholdagirl'shandletalonekissone! KissagirlImean,nothand. WellyouknowwhatImeandon'tyou,lovergirl? Eheh?_ (for the sake of everyone's vision I shall write Hyourinmaru's speech from here on normally. This is to give you an idea on how he talks)

Another vein popped.

_Shirou and Karin, sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G_

A fist clenched.

_First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage!_

Her body shook with the effort of keeping herself from banging her head against the nearest wall.

_What's wrong, _Karin-chan_? Are you missing our little Shirou-kun? Hmmmm? Oh, young love! I remember, when I was but a young ice dragon…_

Karin drew in a deep breath through her mouth. And summoned all her willpower to try to send a hopefully loud and clear message to Hyourinmaru.

_SHUT. THE. HELL. UP! _she screamed mentally. It worked. In her mind, finally, it was blissfully peaceful. For a moment.

_You scared me for a moment there! Why did you have to go and do that? I thought my eardrums would burst!_

Karin sighed and resigned herself to having to listen to Hyourinmaru's annoying chatter. She now gained a deeper understanding of Hitsugaya. No wonder he always frowned and looked irritated. Heck, she has only been hearing Hyourinmaru talk for the past two hours as she made her way to Soul Society (with some instructions on how to get there hidden amongst the other rubbish Hyourinmaru said), and she wished she could just kill herself just to be sparred from the incessant jabbering. No, better yet, she wished she could yank the dragon from her head and strangle it. It was a miracle that Hitsugaya has heard it for more than a hundred years and not yet became crazy. _Toushiro-kun, I salute you for your bravery and sanity! _she thought, fighting back tears.

_Hey! I heard that! _the greatest ice type zanpakutou that ever existed, pouted and threw a tantrum like a child. Karin rubbed her temples. This is going to be a long day.

* * *

Two trainee shinigamis walked past the white-haired taichou. They saw the rumored young genius rubbing his temples, brows locked in thinking.

"That's Hitsugaya-taichou for you, always so deep in thought," one said, nodding his head.

"Yup. He must have a lot of stress, being a taichou and all at his young age," said the other, shaking his head.

They looked at the back of the captain, and solemnly saluted him.

* * *

Karin stomped into the tenth division office, with the patented Hitsugaya look plastered on her face. She did not even need to consciously try; Hyourinmaru has ensured that no one will ever find out her true identity. She marched into Hitsugaya's office, with the directions from Hyourinmaru. And came face-to-face with stacks upon stacks of paper.

"Isn't this the taichou's room? Why are they storing paper here?" Karin asked outloud, confused.

_Storage? Oh sweety, it's paperwork. For the taichou, which means you. _Hyourinmaru said, with a smirk.

"What?! I have to do paperwork?!" Karin exclaimed, shocked. Toushiro-kun never told her about this!

She randomly picked out a piece of paper in one of the stacks. "To the captain of the Fifth Division." she read aloud. "What?! This belongs to the Fifth Division! Why do I have to do this?!" she asked, outraged.

_That's 'cause our little white-haired brat has very kindly volunteered to help out with the paper work for the Fifth Division._

"What!? Why?!"

"Why what, taichou?" a voice called out from behind her. Karin whirled around and came face-to-face with a … endowed chest. She gasped, and took a step backwards. A woman with long blonde hair stared at her with big gray eyes.

_Oh, I recognize her. She's the subordinate of Toushiro-kun, isn't she? If I recalled correctly, her name was…_

"Matsumoto fu-taichou," she said.

"Yes, taichou?" she replied.

_Hey, she's my subordinate right? Then I can get her to do these paperwork for me right?_

_You want MATSUMOTO to do your PAPERWORK?_

But it was too late to warn her. The question had already popped out. Karin drew herself to the full height of Hitsugaya (which is not much) and said in an authoritative voice, "Matsumoto fu-taichou, I order you to finish these paperwork before…before sundown!"

Matsumoto stared at the little taichou. He stared back at her with those intense green eyes. _He can't possibly be for real,_ thought Matsumoto. _Oh well, time to use that. _

Matsumoto put on a whiny voice and gave Karin the puppy-dog eyes. "Oh taichou, you know how bad I am with paperwork!"- she took a step forward, bending down to look Karin in the eye – "It would take me one whole day just to finish a single piece of paperwork, let alone a roomful."- she took another step forward, allowing the full display of her massive chest be in full view of Karin, making her blush and look away – "Besides, I'm already tired out, running about the tenth division carrying out duties." – she took another step forward, Karin took another step backwards – "What's more, we still have to shuffle back and forth between Soul Society and the living world!" – Karin backed away from her advancement, to find her back against the wall – "It's a real strain on my body!" - she jiggled her chest to emphasize on this point – "So what say you let your marvelous fu-taichou take a well deserved break, eh?" – and she pressed Karin's face against her chest. Karin struggled to breathe.

"Okay! Okay! Just let me go!" came a muffled reply from her chest. Matsumoto smiled, and backed away. _Score two hundred and thirty nine for the marvelous fu-taichou!_ She grinned at her red-faced taichou and said, "So, you won't mind me going for a drink, right? I'll see you later, taichou!" She walked out of the door, turned back to give a wink, and shut the door. Her smile faded. The taichou seemed a little different than usual. Hitsugaya never ordered her before, just told her. She closed her eyes and thought back of his face when she released him, and smiled. _Maybe it's him after all,_ she thought as she walked towards the bar. No one in Seireitei will have the same reaction as her adorable taichou.

* * *

Karin gasped for breath, her face flushed. _Did she always do this to her taichou?_she thought as she imagined Hitsugaya pressed up against Matsumoto's chest. _Even I, a girl, feel embarrassed when I see that chest. How did Toushiro-kun feel when he sees her jiggling all the time?_

_Well well. Jealous, are we?_

_Shut…shut up, Hyourinmaru! _She thought, and flushed.

_Don't worry, the kid just sees her as a big sister. _Hyourinmaru grinned as it sensed Karin's relief, and her attempts to hide it.

_Well, you better get started._

_Started on wha…._ Her thought trailed as she looked at the stacks of paper around her. A vein popped. And another. She sighed. She was beginning to get a feel of Hitsugaya's life in Seireitei, and it wasn't pretty. _How did he survived so long?_she wondered

_Well, he had me by his side._

_Shut up!

* * *

_


	6. The Kurosaki Household

So sorry. I forgot to edit it before posting it up. Here's the real one.

* * *

Hitsugaya kicked a can as he walked towards Karin's house. _"It's the one that looks like it's been through an earthquake, a tornado and a tsunami but has somehow survived," _Karin had said. Well, that was a little exaggerated but the house really did look like it has been through a lot. A huge hole in he wall that is covered up with planks of wood, a roof that has been poorly mended, some previously shattered windows… all part and parcel of being a substitute shinigami, he guessed. Hollows are always drawn to the Kurosaki household due to their high spiritual energy, hence many of the fights took place near their house. Not that any of them would remember, their memories have all been erased. Hitsugaya looked at the house and sighed. This is the place where he was going to live from here on. At least until they switch their bodies back.

Actually, even without Karin's directions, Hitsugaya knew which way to go. After the Hollow attacked Karin, he followed her home, jumping from rooftops to rooftops. After she got home, he stood on the neighboring roof, watching over their house until sunrise. Matsumoto had teased him about his eye bags when he got back. Why did he do that? The reason he gave himself was that he did not wish Kurosaki Ichigo to come back from his training to find his little sister dead, him being indirectly responsible. Hyourinmaru said it was because he was worried about this human girl. Of course, he took no notice of it. He never does. That was how he preserved his sanity all these years. He chuckled, thinking about how Karin will react to the annoying ice dragon. _At last, no more voices in my head telling me how I'm doing everything wrong. _

His hand hovered over the doorknob, hesitant to step into the household. He would have to pretend to be their daughter and sister when he has never even met them before, except for Ichigo who is not even there. _Oh well, it's now or never, _he thought, took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Ta- tadaima!"he said tentatively.

"Oh, my precious daughter, you're finally back!" a voice boomed out. He could hear rapid footsteps coming towards him. A middle aged man with a weird hairstyle and a stubble appeared before him, running with a serious expression. Then, as he got nearer, his expression became… what could only be described as idiotic, with his eyes becoming two lines while plastered with a stupid smile. The background behind him became one with rainbow lights shining and flowers blooming. It was even completed with its own sound track, as Hitsugaya looked left and right to try and locate where the music was coming from.

"_If you see a man with a weird hairstyle with a weird expression and weird background, complete with a couple of weird music running with both his arms held out, that idiot is, unfortunately, my old man," _Karin had said. Hitsugaya looked at the man. Weird hairstyle, checked. Weird expression, checked. Weird background with weird music, checked. There was no doubt._ This is the man_ _I have to call my father until this mess is sorted out,_ he thought dismally. But what should he do? The man is running at him with arms held out. That means he wants to hug him, right? Karin never told him how to respond to this. Well, it is expected for father to display affection for the daughter. When he was young, Hinamori would always ruffle his hair, and he also always stood there and let her do it, because if he didn't, she would look hurt and disappointed. The thought of Hinamori brought a stabbing pain to his heart. He mentally shook his head. _This is no time to be thinking about Hinamori_, Hitsugaya thought as the man got nearer and nearer. He decided to steel himself for impact and closed his eyes.

The man stopped short in front of him. Puzzled, Hitsugaya opened his eyes. He was looking at Hitsugaya with a serious expression again. "Why aren't you kicking me in the face as usual, Karin? Anything wrong?" he asked. _Oh, so that's what I'm supposed to do ,_Hitsugaya realized. A little too late now, Hitsugaya punched him in the face and walked by him.

* * *

Isshin Kurosaki stared at his daughter. She looked the same, her reiatsu felt the same, but the feeling he got from her was different. He could not put his finger on it but something has definitely changed. What was wrong with Karin?

* * *

Hitsugaya stared at the doors. Which one led to Karin's room? He decided to try one in random. He opened the door, and found himself in a room that was quite plain, with no extra decorations. _Perhaps this is her room, _he thought, and sat down. "What are you doing in oniisan's room, Karin?" a sweet voice asked. He turned around and saw a sweet looking girl with orange hair. _"If you saw a sweet girl with a sweet voice and an angelic expression, that would be my twin, Yuzu." This is HER twin? _He stood there staring at Yuzu, mentally comparing her with the tomboyish Karin. Then he jerked himself out of his trance and replied, "Sorry, I was thinking of Ichi-nii…" and made a sad expression. It worked. Yuzu looked at Hitsugaya with tears in her eyes. "Don't worry, Karin, Oniisan will return soon. I'm sure," she said in a reassuring tone. Hitsugaya nodded and tried to look brave. He gave Yuzu a strained smile and walked by her into the room opposite.

"Why are you walking into my room, Karin?"

* * *

Hitsugaya lay down on Karin's bed and heaved a sigh of relief. He has somehow convinced Yuzu that he was just too upset to notice that he went into the wrong room. After that Yuzu had led him to Karin's room, holding his shoulder and comforting her. He should win an Oscar for this. _So this is Karin's room. Not what you would have expected a girl's room to look like, _he thought. _But then again, Karin's not what you would expect to be either. _The room was covered with soccer posters. Beckam, Rolando, the works. The only way you could tell that a girl was living here was the tidiness. _Never thought that Karin would be so concerned about cleanliness and all._ He thought that because she didn't seem to mind getting dirty when she was playing soccer. But he recalled that she did smell nice, despite all the sweat and mud. Sort of like a freshly washed shirt. _She must bathe everyday ,_he thought. Suddenly the image of Karin bathing popped into his head, and his nose spurted blood out. He shook his head to get the image out, then realized the implications of his thoughts. _If she bathe everyday, that means I, in her body, will have to bathe her body everyday!

* * *

_

Yuzu was worried about Karin. She has never seen her so… emotional before. Oniisan's disappearance must have a greater impact on her than she thought. _I'll cheer her up,_ she thought, taking her pyjamas with her and knocked on Karin's door. _We'll have a bath together and she'll tell me all her troubles, _thought Yuzu as she cheerfully opened Karin's door. "Karin, let's… Karin! What's wrong with you?!" Yuzu exclaimed as she found her twin lying face down in a pool of blood.

* * *

From that day on, Hitsugaya would go into the bath blindfolded and with gloves on (while he was in Karin's body). Isshin and Yuzu never got the reason out of him.

* * *

is this chapter okay? i was a bit in the rush when i typed this. 


	7. The Lieutenants

Yachiru was bored. Ken-chan had to go out and take care of some stupid idiots who couldn't take care of a little hollow. Sure, it was a Menos Grande, but that would be a piece of cake to her. And they always scoffed at how young she was. She jumped around the office. She stacked all the paperwork into one huge stack and jumped down on it. Then she repeated this process ten times. She went on to throw all the pens on the wall like darts, feeding them with her reiatsu causing them to slice into the wall like hot iron through butter. Then she repeated the procedure with anything she could get her hands on. Pretty soon, the office became a wreck. Not that it was ever neat and tidy before. Yachiru ran around the room for a few more times before she became irritated with boredom. Hands on her hips, she put on an angry (but cute) face. "Mo… There's nothing to do around here! This is so boring! When willl Ken-chan get back home?" she complained. She fumed silently for a while before a brilliant idea came to her head.

"I know! I'll go find our next-door-neighbour, snowy to play!"

* * *

Karin sneezed, causing all the paper to be blown from the table. Cursing and rubbing her tired eyes, she began to pick up the pieces of paper on the floor. She had been doing paperwork for an entire day and an entire night. _Damn you, Toushiro-kun! Why must you act like a hero and volunteer to do all the paperwork for Fifth division? Why must I suffer for your actions? Oh Kami-sama,, save me from this hell! _Karin thought for the millionth time. She sneezed again for the second time.

_Ooooo__…__ you just sneezed twice! You know what they say, sneeze once when some one__'__s cursing you, sneeze twice when someone__'__s thinking of you! Someone out there is thinking of you! Or maybe they__'__re thinking of that little brat,_ Hyourinmaru mused.

Karin sneezed again. _And what does it mean when someone sneeze thrice, _she asked.

_It means you__'__ve got a cold, dear, _Hyourinmaru said sympathathically.

_Oh GREAT! Now, on top of everything, I have a COLD! _she grumbled in her mind, sniffing as she continue picking up the strewn papers. After that… little episode with Matsumoto, she really didn't dare to ask her to do any paperwork again. She thought of Matsumoto's cocky face as she left the office last night and fumed in her head.

_Can you stop that, it's very irritating,_ Hyourinmaru, the master of irritation complained.

_Shut it! I'm not in the mood for you, Hyourinmaru!_ Karin replied angrily.

_Oh woe is me! I'm now being hated! Don't mind me, I'm just a lonely ice dragon, who can't even make conversation with my host, _the dramatic dragon took out an imaginary handkerchief and dabbed its eyes.

_Great. Now I have a drama queen in my head. Can my day get any worse?_ she thought.

At that precise moment, the door splintered into half and a little pink object rolled in from the hole it made. Karin stared at that pink lump of ball in her office. It then unfolded itself and started shaking away all the splinters. It was a pink haired girl who was in the shinigami uniform. More than that, she had a tag tied to her left arm that said " Eleven". If she remembered correctly, Matsumoto had one like hers, only it said "Ten". That must mean that the little girl must be the lieutenant of the Eleventh division, which (even she knows) is the strongest fighting division in Seireitei.

_But she looks so young and … cute, _Karin thought as the little girl began to rub her eyes and stare at her with big innocent eyes.

_Hymph, you're one to talk! Anyway, this brat is Yachiru Kusajishi, one of the… Why should I tell you this! I'm not talking to you anymore! You've hurt my feelings! Now I'll let you have a taste of your own medicine, _Hyourinmaru stuck out a tongue and faded in her mind.

_Thank the lord above for this unexpected gift! _Karin felt a lot happier now that one of her troubles is gone. She smiled at the little girl. _And it is all thanks to her!_

_I still can hear you, you know! _the ice dragon pouted.

_Shh, you're not supposed to be talking to me remember? Go on, don't break your promise, _Karin said tauntingly.

_Fine, I don't care! _It gave her a wounded look and faded away again.

During this time, Yachiru stared at the white haired taichou, puzzled. _He looks nice when he smiles_, she thought, _but he never smiles. He always put on a grumpy face and acted like an old man. He seems… different today._

When Karin looked at her again, Yachiru has reached a decision. _I'll make sure he smiles at everyone, so they can see that he actually looks nice. _She jumped on her back (almost breaking it in the process) and cried out, "It's Operation Smile-For-Everyone! Let's go, snowy!" and rocked back and forth like she was riding a horse. Karin was shocked by sudden attack by the bundle of energy on her back. "Kusajishi-san, what are you doing?"

"I said let's go! GO!" Yachiru shouted and pulled one of Hitsugaya's many spikes, the pain causing Karin to move in the direction she wants. She directed, and caused Karin to bang on the wall.

"Opps, sorry!" she giggled as Karin rubbed her nose tenderly, and began pulling her hair again. A painful journey has begun.

* * *

Abarai Renji was practicing his bankai in the training ground of the Eleventh division. _Just a little bit more..., _he thought,_ I'm getting the hang of it…. Just a little bit more before I perfect my bankai. _His zanpakuto was in its bankai form, it having the body of a snake with the head of a sheep. Renji was panting after his vigorous workout. He gripped the handle of his sword more tightly. _This time, this time I'll succeed for sure! I'll be able to defeat taichou with my bankai! _he thought as he raised the sword, preparing to swing it down. He took a big breath… only for it to be knocked out of him a second later. Caught offguard by the sudden attack, Renji was knocked down by a mysterious object that, out of the corner of his eye, seemed white and pink. He stood up, clutching his side, and looked down at his attacker. Or, attackers.

"What? It was the prodigy and the Kusajishi kid who attacked me?" Abarai stared at the pair in shock.

"Wasn't that fun, snowy? Let's do it again!" the pink-haired girl said, bouncing around.

"No, it wasn't! And it's Hitsugaya-taichou to you!" the white haired boy replied, him being his usual irritated self. (Karin learnt to say that from Hyourinmaru. Pretty soon she said that to everyone.)

"Mo, don't be such a tart! C'mon, let's do it again!"

"Easy for you to say! You're not the one banging into walls!"

"Ano…you know…"Abarai started, a vein popping up in irritation. He hated being ignored. For heaven's sake, they had banged into him and thought he was a wall! And now, they were treating him as if he wasn't there!

"Don't be so petty! Next time you can ride on my back if you want. Now, hurry up! We need to go find people for you to smile to them!" Yachiru said impatiently.

"Why would I want to ride on your back?! And what's with asking me to smile to everyone in sight?" Karin asked in exasperation. She had thought this girl was cute and innocent, but boy, was she wrong. She has been tugging and pulling her (his) hair ever since she cannonballed into his office.

Yachiru ignored her, and jumped onto her (his) back once more. "To infinity, and beyond!" she cried out happily pointing at the horizon, while reining in her (his) hair. Pained, Karin ran out from the courtyard.

All this time Renji was clutching his fist, controlling his anger. Now that they were leaving, paying no attention to him, he could no longer take it. "What the hell! I don't care if you're a taichou or a prodigy, come back here and apologize! Oi!" he screamed, but the pair was already gone.

* * *

Nemu Hirotsuchi was worried. Her taichou, also her father, was not in a good mood lately, to say the least. He snapped at people and threw things against the walls in sudden bouts of anger. Well, they were what he did usually, but now he did it more frequently. He must be fretting over his latest experiment, the one that involve Hitsugaya-taichou and a human girl. Everything was going well, but before he could deduce whether their souls have changed or not the video camera was smashed by a human boy. It would be alright if Mayuri Kurotsuchi can travel back and forth to the living world like Hitsugaya-taichou, but the problem was he was banned from going to the human world ever again. Something about the last time he when to the living world he met a Hitler guy and persuaded him to start some war. She sighed. She would be willing to go to the living world in his steed if only he lets her. He always thought she was stupid and incompetent. But he was her creator, thus she must be loyal and obedient to him. A sudden scream jolted her out of her thoughts.

"Ahhhhh, don't pull my ears too!"

"It's more fun this way!"

"More fun for you perhaps, but more painful for me!

"You're no fun! Where's your sense of humor?"

"This goes beyond humor!"

A pink and white blob zoomed passed her. Stunned, it took her another few second before she recognize the blur. "Hitsugaya-taichou?!" she turned to call out, but the pair was already gone.

* * *

Sentaro Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu was bickering, as usual. The topic: Who does Ukitake-taichou likes the best?

"Of course, the one that taichou likes the best is me!" Sentaro said arrogantly.

"No, the one he likes the most is me!" Kiyone argued.

"Don't flatter yourself, how can he like you the most when obviously the one he likes most is me!"

"You're the one who shamelessly thinks that taichou likes you at all!"

"How dare you!" The two fu-taichou of the Thirteenth Division glared at each other, their faces so close they almost touch. Then, at the exact same moment, they deflated and sighed.

"Who are we kidding? The one that Ukitake-taichou likes the best is Hitsugaya-taichou," Sentaro said dejectedly.

"Did you see him give Hitsugaya-taichou another pile of sweets last month? He never gave me any sweets before," Kiyone said with watery eyes.

"And that bastard Hitsugaya always refused them. How dare him!" Sentaro shouted, suddenly angry.

"He doesn't cherish taichou as much as we do! He doesn't deserve taichou's love!" Kiyone joined in his ranting.

"Hitsugaya Toushiro is our enemy!" they shouted in sync.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew between them, knocking them backwards. Something pink and white zoomed past them, leaving dust in its wake. Sentaro and Kiyone coughed, when realization hit them at the exact same moment.

"Wasn't that Hitsugaya-taichou?!" they asked each other at the same time.

* * *

Karin was exhausted. The little pink devil has made her run for a few hours now. She was completely spent. She skidded to a sudden stop, causing Yachiru to fly over her head and land on the floor.

"What'cha do that for? Hurry, we still haven't found anyone for you to smile to!" Yachiru pouted.

"Enough! I've had enough playing your stupid game now!" Karin raged.

Suddenly, Karin felt malicious intent from all directions. She shivered, a chill sending down her spine.

"I want you to apologize right now!" a redhead with weird tattoo suddenly appeared in front of her, grabbing the front of her uniform and screaming at her.

Then she felt someone watching her from behind, and saw a woman hiding (quite poorly) behind a pillar, observing her.

Then, two lunatics ran up to the front of her and shouted, "Ukitake-taichou's ours!"

Then, Yachiru, who has been watching all these with widen eyes, suddenly broke into a grin and jumped onto her back once more. "Smile!" she said, shoving two fingers into Karin's mouth and stretch the two corners of her mouth up, causing her to look like the Joker from Batman.

"Apologize, damn you!"

Stare.

"Don't you dare get near our taichou ever again!"

"Yeah, we won't let you off if you did!"

"Smile! Smile!"

_I'll just say two words,_ Hyourinmaru said,_ Ha. Ha._

_Why does this happen to me?! _she thought, sniffing.

_

* * *

_

Haha. I wrote this story while I was having a cold. I enjoy writing about the Seireitei more than of the living world, that's why this is longer. Also, many of you readers also wished for me to write longer, so here it is! Sorry it took a bit long. I'm a little busy this month, so the next chapter will not come so soon. I ask for you to be patient and continue to support this story. :)


	8. Skirts and School

Hitsugaya was drowning in a bath tub. He was struggling to get to the surface when an unearthly scream pierced his dream and woke him up, gasping for air. "Briiiinnnnnnggg!" went the alarm. He sat straight up in his bed, his heart pounding from the realistic dream. For a moment he couldn't remember where he was, or why was he there. Then suddenly, the flood of memories came back and he groaned. _That__'__s right, I had changed bodies with Kurosaki,_ he thought, looking down at the pyjamas that were not his. _I wonder how she__'__s doing, _Hitsugaya thought of their last parting, and realized with a jolt that he missed her. He slammed the alarm down, causing its cries to die down. He walked to the bathroom and stared at the mirror as he brushed his teeth. _Well, if I missed seeing her, I can just look in a mirror, _he thought, then, as he understood the implications of this thought, added to himself hurriedly, _Not that I care or anything,_ and rinsed his mouth, averting his eyes from the mirror.

When he came out from the bathroom, Yuzu was waiting for him, holding out a uniform. "Here, Karin, I've ironed your uniform for you," and with a smile, cheerfully handed him the uniform and went into the bathroom. Hitsugaya stood outside the bathroom, staring at the pieces of clothing in his hands. "Skirts?!"

* * *

Hitomi, a friend of the twins, was waiting for them at the road junction to walk to school together. She tapped her foot on the concrete ground and glanced at her watch for the umpteenth time. They were late and they're going to cause her to get into trouble too. As they approached her, she said,"Mo, why are you two so…" and trailed off as she saw Karin's face. The temperature dropped a few notches as Karin stared at her. She shivered involuntarily, and Karin walked in front of her, hands in pockets, fuming silently. She walked for a few steps before realizing that they weren't following her. She stopped and turned around, a few more veins popping out from her forehead. The two quickly caught up with her before they resumed walking. 

"Why is Karin-chan even more irritated today than usual?" Hitomi whispered to Yuzu.

"She was throwing a tantrum about wearing a skirt again. It took the combined effort of me and Otousan to drag her out of the house," she whispered back.

"I thought that issue was resolved long ago?" she asked.

"So did I," she whispered back. The two stared at the tomboyish girl's back and shivered. Somehow, the surrounding air seems colder than usual.

Hitsugaya fumed all the way to school. He ignored all the people that jumped out of his way when they saw him. _A skirt, _he thought,_ I have to wear a bloody skirt. I sure hope Karin__'__s having a hard time, __'__cause I__'__m in hell._ He tugged the skirt uncomfortably. It felt so cooling down there… it felt as if he wasn't wearing anything underneath. Why do girls wear these? They don't offer any comfort or protection at all. He sighed. _Matsumoto would love this,_ he thought, thinking of the last time she tried to get him to wear a skirt.

The school bell rang just as they stepped into the classroom. People shifted, no, darted out of his way as he sat down next to Yuzu, sneaking glances at him as if he was a time bomb. Their form teacher, Miss Mizumi, sneezed as she entered the classroom. "Boy, is it me or does it feel colder in here?" she asked, smiling, expecting the students to laugh but was met instead with silence.

* * *

Hitsugaya looked out of the window at the field. Some guys were playing soccer at the field. He sighed. _I wish I could be out there instead of being stuck here with the stupid lessons._ He turned his attention back to the blackboard. An old geezer was writing some equations on the board. They were learning 'Algebra'. He had already learnt 'Algebra' when he was in Soul Society preparing for his mission to infiltrate a high school. Needless to say, he has no need to attend this elementary lesson, whereby "x + 3 4. Find x." . Then he spotted a mistake that the teacher made. A glaringly obvious one. He looked around the classroom nonchalantly. Their eyebrows were all squeezed together in concentration and confusion. No one seemed to have spotted the mistake. He looked again. The geezer was explaining how he arrived at the answer. That was wrong. Or rather, incomplete. The teacher looked at the class nodding their heads and smiled when he noticed that one wasn't nodding. He asked in concern, "Is there anything you don't understand, Kurosaki-chan?" 

Hitsugaya could't stand it any longer. How dare use that condescending tone when he was the one making the mistake?! "Sensei," he said as he stood up abruptly, "there is something wrong with your answer."

A collective gasp can be heard from the class. Karin has challenged a teacher! The teacher narrowed his eyes and asked, " And, pray tell, what is wrong about my answer?"

"Well, the question is asking us to find out the distance x from building A to building B, given the time taken for person z to walk from A to B is speed q. Essentially, what sensei had done on the board is correct, but a negative answer should also be included. Suppose that person z was walking in the opposite direction of the defined positive direction? That would cause the answer to be negative, wouldn't it? Thus, we should also calculate the possibility of a negative answer," he concluded triumphly.

Stunned silence.

"But, Kurosaki-chan, what you are talking about is displacement, whereby the positive and negative signs indicates the direction, which is not in your syllabus until high school," the teacher said quizzically.

"Um, really? I didn't know that. Pardon my insolence," Hitsugaya said hurriedly as he sat down, knowing that he had screwed up. Everyone in the class stared at him like he just arrived from another world (which he did). He resumed to staring out of the window, cheeks flushing.

The math teacher looked at the blushing girl thoughtfully. Kurosaki chan was never prominent during lessons. Her grades were above average but not so good that it attracts attention (like her brother). He had always thought of her being smart, but without passion. Perhaps he was wrong.

"Kurosaki-chan?"

"Ye-es, sensei?" Was he busted?

"How would you like to join a team competing in the National Mathematics Challenge?"

By the end of the day, the young genius had gotten himself, no Karin, multiple invites to the science club, the multi-media club, the debate club, the Japanese Appreciation club and various competitions. He couldn't really refuse the offers thrust at him, especially with them using puppy dog eyes. He was, contrary to his Mr-I'm-So-Cool look, a sucker for puppy dog eyes. _Boy, Kurosaki, are you going to have a surprise when you come back, _he thought as he chuckled to himself.

* * *

Arrgghhh! I know this chapter came very late. (it's a bit short too) So sorry! I offer my most sincere apologies. bows down 90 degress Please don't be mad and continue to support this story. I'm thinking of having two more funny chapters before I begin to end the story. What do you think? Review and feedback please! 


	9. Jealous over him

Karin rubbed her eyes. Her eyelids drooped with tiredness. _Can't… sleep… must… finish… paperwork, _she thought as she flopped head down onto the desk, snoring a little. She fell into a beautiful dream. In the dream, she and Toushiro-kun were running in slow motion after a ball in a field. Flowers were blooming and the rainbow lights were gently shining. _"Try and catch up to me, Toushiro-kun!" _she said teasingly to him. He gave an adorable smile and was about to catch up with her. His hand reached out… only an inch away from her shoulder…

"Bang!" went the door. "Ohaiyou, taichou!" Matsumato greeted her taichou cheerily. Karin sat up with a start and glared at her. "What is it, Matsumoto? I'm busy," she asked, arranging some papers, irritated and embarrassed. Irritated because she had interrupted her dream. Embarrassed because of the fact that she was having such a dream. A cute red flush crept up her face.

_Oh ho ho, I saw that! _Hyourinmaru smirked.

_Sh..Shut up!_ she replied mentally, blushing to her roots.

"Taichou, why is your face all red?" Matsumoto asked, leaning towards him and tilting her head.

"No… nothing… I've just been a little heaty, that's all," she said, averting her eyes from Matsumoto.

"Oh really?" Matsumoto grinned at her. "Are you sure you're not thinking of a special someone?"

"Wh-wh-wh-what are you talking about?" she stammered, trying to look irritated but instead was looking more and more flustered.

"Oh, speaking of a special someone, you haven't been to see Hinamori-chan for a while," Matsumoto looked at her in concern. "Is it because of all the extra paperwork?"

_Hinamori… chan? Who's she?_ Karin asked.

_She's the vice captain of the fifth division. _Hyourinmaru replied.

_The division whose captain turns out to be a traitor and cause Seireitei to be in chaos? The division that caused me to be working my butt off doing their paperwork? The person who is supposed to be doing all these paperwork?_ Karin thought angrily.

_Well, yes. But there's something I should tell you…_

"Of course, I'll be off to see her now," Karin said to Matsumoto with a strained smile and went out of the room with a slam. _I'll tell her what I think of people shrinking responsibilities!

* * *

_

Hinamori Momo stared out of the small window in the ward. She was confused; why had they placed her in this room devoid of everything? They even restricted her from going out. She had no strength to protest, only did as she was told. _"But what about my duties? What about Aizen-sama? He needs me!"_ she had said. But people only smiled at her sadly and said, _"Don't worry, everything's taken care of."_

Taken care of? Is putting her in this room considered taking care of her? _Aizen-sama_, she thought, the image of the bespectacled taichou smiling kindly at her was conjured in her mind. But for some reason this image cause her heart to twist and throb painfully. It was as if… the thought of her taichou made her feel so sad and wrong. Why? Her head throbbed painfully. She stopped thinking. It became something she was good at. The pain gradually eased and she stared out the window again, with a glazed look in her eyes.

"Aizen-sama."

* * *

Unohara Retsu smiled kindly at the young eleventh-division taichou. "Here to see Hinamori-cahn again?" 

"Uh, yea, I'm… here to visit her," Karin said. _Again? Does Toushiro-kun visit her often?_

_Jealous now, are we? Well, yes, but that's because…_ Hyourinmaru taunted but was cut off.

"Well, I'll lead you there now," Unohara said gently.

"Um…arigatou," she said.

"She's doing better nowadays. Her condition has become more stabilized and can talk to people now. But she's still fragile. She can't take anymore blows," she said sadly as the walked past the white corridors towards Hinamori's ward.

"Uh…may I ask you about her illness?" Karin asked hesitantly.

"She cannot accept how Aizen has betrayed Soul Society. How he has betrayed her. Thus her mind tries to reject that fact and lock these bad memories in the depths of her mind. She's in a state of denial. Whenever anyone brings up Aizen's actions she'll have a terrible headache and start screaming."

"Oh," she said. _How sad… that girl… _

"Oh, we're here. Jya, I won't disturb you," the taichou excused herself, bowing and left.

Karin watched her leave and then turned to face the door. Her hand hovered over the door for a while before turning the knob. And finally met Hinamori Momo.

A girl with waist-length black hair in a white long robe was staring out of a small square window. Her black soulful eyes had a glazed look. It was as if she was there physically, but not mentally. She did not even stir when Karin entered the room. Karin surveyed the room. It was a plain white room, furnished with only a bed she was sitting on. The only light source in the room was through the window.

"Um…" she started, when she realized she didn't know how to address her. _Hinamori fu-taichou? Hinamori-chan? Just Hinamori? Or perhaps, Momo?_ _How close was Toshiro-kun to her? _she thought, suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of lost and confusion.

_Just call her Hinamori,_ Hyourinmaru advised.

"Hi…Hinamori," she muttered.

The girl turned and looked at her slowly. She stared at her with a blank look. After a few uncomfortable moments, recognition spread across her face. The girl gave a tiny smile.

"Shiro-chan?"

_Shiro-chan? She calls Toushiro-kun Shiro-chan? Just how close are they? _

_Well, they are childhood friends after all…_ Hyourinmaru started.

Ignoring Hyourinmaru, Karin said, "That's… that's Hitsugaya-taichou to you."

Shock flickered across the girl's pale face, before hurt kicked in. She then gazed at her with sad, lonely, eyes, saying, "Oh, yes. It's Hitsugaya-taichou now."

Karin saw the hurt expression, and squirmed inside. She didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings. But, for some reason, when she saw Hinamori, she felt like pushing her further and further away. She just didn't want Toushiro-kun be near to her. Uneasiness overtook her. _Why am I feeling this way? _She hated the way she was behaving. _She has been through a great ordeal,_ she thought_, I should try my best to be kinder to her._

"It's okay, I just have a habit of correcting people. You can call me... Shiro-chan."

A rare smile grew on Hinamori's face. She turned back to the window. The sun was setting, casting a brilliant spectrum of red, orange and yellow. The clouds floating past also reflected the bright colors. The evening sky gave off a feeling of gentle sadness, as if it was grieving over the lost of another day.

Still watching the sky, Hinamori gave a weak smile, and said, "Shiro-chan, do you remember the times where we used to sit down together, eating watermelons and watching the evening sky? So much time has passed since then. You're now a captain, no longer the little Shiro-chan that spits melon seeds at me. Sometimes I wished that you would stay like that forever for me."

Karin was stunned. She remembered what Hitsugaya had once said, when she asked him why he was there, staring at the sky. _"It's the best place in this town to watch the sunset" _he had said._ So that's why, _she thought, _that's why he always watch the sunset. That's why he always has a wistful expression when he's watching the sunset. It's because of her. It reminds him of her and the times they had together. This is how important she is in Toushiro-kun's heart…_

"What's wrong, Shiro-chan?" Hinamori asked, looking at the white-haired boy with a hurt and confused expression on his face.

"Shiro-chan?"

"I'm… sorry. I can't stay. I've got to go," she mumbled hurriedly, and turned to go.

"Wait, if you see Aizen-sama, can you help me apologise to him? He must have his hands full with work without his fu-taichou. Tell him that I'll come back soon. I don't know why they lock me here, I feel fine except for the occasional headache…"

Karin didn't stay to hear the rest. She walked away, away from the ward as fast as possible. Then she broke out into a run. She didn't even know what she was running from, just that she didn't want to stop. She ran and she ran, until she arrived at a deserted courtyard. There she sank to her knees, and tears began to spill from her eyes.

_Why am I crying, _she asked herself, _why does my heart hurt so much? Why does the presence of Hinamori unnerve me so? Why am I so concerned with how Toushiro-kun feels? Why? Why? Why?_

_Because you like him, idiot, _the ice dragon said.

_I… like Toushiro-kun?_

_Yes, and despite what he might say, he likes you too._

A seed of hope began to take root in her heart. _He likes me too? But… Hinamori…_

_She's his childhood friend. True, he might have once had a crush on her, but that was before you stepped into his life. Honestly, you two deserve each other, both are so dense at realizing their own feelings when it's obvious to everyone else, _Hyourinmaru said, rolling its eyes.

Karin smiled a shaky smile. _So… he likes me too. _Then she stopped, the implications of the mental conversation with Hyourinmaru finally sinking in.

_Wait… I like Toushiro-kun?!?!

* * *

_

Sorry this came a little late too. I'll try and update more regularly. And, as you can probably tell, this is not a funny chapter. more of a emotional chapter. I didn't really want to make Karin meet Hinamori, but one of you has rquested for it and well... here it is. Hope you aren't too disappointed! Thanks for supporting the story uptil now! I'll try and insert Mayuri sometime near. (I've realise he hasn't appeared again since chapter 3. Sorry Kurotsuchi!) Please coninue to support the story until the very end. 


	10. Guy Trouble

Hitsugaya Toushiro sneezed. Twice. _Am I coming down with a cold,_ he thought, running his finger across his nose. Kurosaki Yuzu, who was sitting next to him in class, asked in concern, "Are you alright, Karin?" He looked at the girl that was his 'twin sister' and said, "Don't worry, I think I'm fine." He continued staring at Yuzu. In the beginning, when he had found out that this gentle, soft-spoken girl was that tomboy Karin's twin, he couldn't believe it. But now that he had taken a closer look, he found that there were some similarities after all. The small button nose, the slight tilt of the chin, their stubbornness… of which Yuzu displayed when she managed to get the captain of the tenth division wear a skit to school. And then his mind wandered off to Karin. _I wonder how she's doing now…_

Yuzu blushed under the gaze of Karin. "Um, Karin, why are you staring at me like that?" she asked, looking away shyly.

"Oh, gomen," Hitsugaya snapped out of his thoughts when Yuzu said that and gave an apologetic smile. Yuzu took a look at his smiling face, and blushed again, avoiding his confused look.

"What's wrong, Yuzu?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "N-nothing!" she replied, pointedly looking anywhere but him. "Oh, I see," Hitsugaya said, clearly not convinced but decided it wasn't worth the trouble to continue with the conversation. _I wonder what's wrong with her,_ he thought, transferring his gaze to the blackboard.

Heart still beating abnormally fast, Yuzu sneaked a glance at Karin and was relieved to find that she wasn't looking at her anymore. _What's wrong with me, _she thought, _why am I nervous when Karin looks at me? She's my sister! It's not like she 's a boy…

* * *

_

Shinozaki Yusuke was spacing out, staring at the adorable face of Kurosaki Karin. _Kawaii… _he thought, smiling to himself. _Ah, she's sneezing! I wonder if she's okay? Will she go for soccer practice if she's sick, _he found himself thinking. _No, no, what am I thinking? I should be concern about Kurosaki-san's health, not about whether I can see here or not, _he mentally chided himself. He stole another glance at her, and his heart almost jumped out when he saw that she was looking directly at him. _Ohm god,she'slookingatme,whatshouldIdo?!_ he thought, flustered. He sat up straight and looked in front at the whiteboard, his ears reddening. _Oh man, I wonder if she's fiqured out that I like her?

* * *

_

Hitsugaya stared at a guy that looked familiar sneaking glances at him. He appeared to be flustered and sat up straight as a plank, deliberately avoiding looking at him. _Weird guy, _he thought, and resumed to staring at the blackboard. Then he remembered that he was one of those guys Karin played soccer with. He was relatively normal, if not a little hostile towards Hitsugaya. _Wonder what wrong with everybody today…

* * *

_

"Briiinngg!" went the bell. "Well, that's it for today. Read chapter 24 before my lesson tomorrow," the teacher said as she walked out of the class. Hitsugaya yawned, and rubbed his eyes. _Why must I endure these stupid lessons when I have already learnt it, _he thought. Next to him, Yuzu took out two boxes wrapped in handkerchiefs.

"Here, Karin, here's your bento," she said, smiling as she placed the lunch box in front of him. "Oh, arigatou," he replied, untying the knot on the handkerchief and opening the bento. "Oh, it's rice in omelet and fried prawns…"he said, suddenly hesitant, "gomen, but I'm allergic to seafood."

"Huh? But you love seafood… You always ask me to add extra prawns to your bento…" Yuzu said, puzzled.

Too late now, Hitsugaya remembered that he's supposed to be Karin. "Oh yea. I love prawns. Hehe," he finished lamely and began tucking in, his face a crimson red. Yuzu cocked her head, thinking, _Karin's weird today,_ and continued eating, watching him from time to time.

* * *

Standing outside the classroom, Yusuke peeked in and got a rush as he watched Karin eat. _Ka-kawaii!_ Especially the way she seemed to be burying her head in her bento. And the way her face is all red… He placed his clenched fists over his throbbing heart and decided. "I'll confess my feelings for her today!" he exclaimed, while other students walking by stared at him.

* * *

Hitsugaya sneezed again as Yusuke walked stiffly towards him. _Am I really coming down with a cold,_ he thought, a little troubled. He noticed the robotic boy approaching him. 

"Is something the matter, Shinozaki-kun?" he asked coolly.

"Um… ano… err…" Yusuke said hesitantly, his ears red.

"Yes?" he asked again, a little irritated at being disturbed during his lunch. Yuzu looked at the both of them curiously.

"Can… can I speak with you for a moment? Privately?" he blurted out.

"Oh. Okay. You don't mind if I go out for a while, do you?" he turned to ask Yuzu. Yuzu shook her head dumbly. He rose from his seat and walked out of the room, leaving both of them to stare after him. Realizing that no one was following him, he turned behind and gave a _Aren't you coming?_ look. Yusuke hurriedly stood up and followed him like a faithful dog.

Yuzu looked at the mismatched pair and thought, _Will they be alright?

* * *

_

Hitsugaya walked up to the roof, then turned to face Yusuke. "Alright, spit it out. What exactly do you have to say to me?" he asked, not too kindly.

Yusuke was a little thrown off by his cold attitude, but quickly regained his composure. He took a deep breath and quickly blurted out, bowing, "I like you! Please go out with me!"

Silence. It took a while for the message to sink in. _Did he just say that he… likes me?!_ Hitsugaya thought, shocked.

"EHHHHHHHHHHH?!" he cried out in a very un-Hitsugaya-ish manner. _Is he…gay?!_

"Uno… Kurosaki-san?" Yusuke said tentatively.

_Oh yea, now he thinks I'm Kurosaki, _he thought, _then_ _one he likes is…_

"EHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" he cried out again. _Someone likes… Kurosaki?!_ Suddenly a feeling of unease and surprise grabbed Hitsugaya. Flustered, he replied, "Gomenasai!" And immediately, he felt guilty. _What if.. what if Kurosaki likes him too? How could I have answered on her behalf, _he thought, uncharacteristically unsure of himself. It's just that… the thought of Kurosaki going out with other people… makes him feel lonely and sort of … betrayed.

"Oh. As I thought. Kurosaki-san likes Toushiro-kun, don't you?" he said dejectedly.

"EHHHHHHHHHHH?!" he cried out for the third time, "W-wh-why do you say that?" His face turned red at the thought of Karin liking him.

"Because… you're always distracted during soccer practice looking out into the distance, waiting for him to turn up. And you always seem so happy when you're with him… But that's okay. I'm happy enough to know that my feelings have reached you. Excuse me," Yusuke said sadly, and ran away, leaving Hitsugaya with his thoughts.

_Kurosaki… likes me?!_ he thought, shocked, but at the same time, a little happy and excited. He was surprised by his feelings. _Could it be that I… like Kurosaki too_?!

* * *

Finally the two of them have realised each other's feelings. Hehe. This is a little late too, because i couldn't post it up yesterday because of some problems. Gomen. I must apologise in advance for next chapter will also be late, because of a stupid camp tht i have to go. How do you like this chapter? 'Cos i've sort of run out of ideas for Hitsugaya, this is something thought of after the last chapter i wrote on Hinamori. 


	11. Captains' meeting

Mayuri Kurotsuchi sat in front of his wide screen computer and fumed silently while the office around him lay in disarray. He had run out of steam from the initial anger that he felt when his experiment went incomplete. _If I could only observe one of them, _he thought angrily, _I will know for sure if it works…_ He banged his fist on the table in frustration. No one saw that display of anger, as everyone has ran away, not wanting to be his target. "Arrrgggghhhh!" he screamed, tearing out some of his hair.

"Otou-sama! Otou-sama! I have great news!" his daughter and futaichou shouted as she ran into the room. _Blasted girl, how dare she interrupt my rantings,_ he thought. "How many times must I tell you, call me Mayuri-sama, not Otou-sama! And why are you making a scene?" he said, irritated, not realizing that the pot was calling the kettle black.

"Hai. Gomenasai. I was getting carried away, Mayuri-sama," she said, apologetic, "Oh but I really have something to tell you, Mayuri-sama! Hitsugaya-taichou! Hitsugaya-taichou is back from the human world!"

Silence. "Muahahahaha! Of course! Kami-sama wouldn't be so cruel to a genius such as I! Yes! Now all I have to do is to observe him and see if he's behaving normally!" he said, rubbing both his hands together and giving his evil grin.

"You won't be able to get out of my sight this time, Hitsugaya-kun."

* * *

_Karin and Shiro, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G,_ Hyourinmaru teased.

_Shut it, I'm trying to do some work here, _Karin said tiredly, sick of that stupid rhyme that the stupid ice dragon has been singing for the two thousand and thirty seventh time.

_But you're thinking that would be nice, wouldn't it? You're thinking the last two time you two kissed was too hasty and unintentional, and that you wouldn't mind, would love it in fact, if that brat kissed you for real, aren't you? _the ice dragon smirked a knowing smile. _You do remember I can see your thoughts, don't you?_

Blushing, Karin thought back hurriedly, _I do not think that!_

_Yes you do. _

_No I don't!_

_Yes you do!_

_It's my thoughts, I would think that I know better than you!_ Karin thought angrily.

_Ah, but I know you better than you know yourself, dear, _the drgaon said, with a touch of pride.

_No you don't!_

_Yes I do._

_No you don't!_

_Yes I do._

"NO, YOU DON"T!" she screamed out loud, unaware of the fact that Matsumoto has just entered the office. "I don't what, taichou?" she asked, shocked but her usually cool and composed taichou's sudden outburst.

"Um… you don't…. don't… worry about the paperwork, it's being taken care of," Karin said, hastily covering up her mistake.

_Ha, that's the best you can come up with? "Don't worry about paperwork, Matsumoto_," he said in a high voice, imitating her, _as if MATSUMOTO would ever worry about PAPERWORK… _

_Shut up! This is all your fault! _she retorted.

_My fault? Fine, blame the dragon now, would you? Oh, woe is me, _it said, sniffing, taking out the imaginary handkerchief again, _the only one person who can hear me will only talk to me to blame me for something. Oh, I'm just an unwanted dragon, just a nobody, sitting out here in the cold, my only reason for living is to bear the brunt of your blame. _

_Well, this IS your fault. Stop being a drama queen, _she thought, multiple veins popping out from her forehead.

_Is not!_

_Is too! _

_Is not!_

While this childish exchange was taking place between the strongest ice type zanpakuto that was known a the child prodigy taichou, Matsumoto was staring at her taichou, who was, at that time, putting on a constipated face. _He sure is weird these days, _she thought, _I mean, how could he even suggest that I'm worried about PAPERWORK? _"Um, are you alright, taichou? Have you done too much paperwork?" she asked, a little concerned and just a teeny weeny bit guilty. Just a bit. "Why don't you take a rest for today and go out and play or something. I'll…" she took a deep breath and said bravely, " I'll do the paperwork today."

Hyourinmaru and Karin stopped. And both stared at the usually drunk and unconscious or missing fugacious. "HUH?!" they said at the same time. ( although she could only hear Karin)

"So come on," she said, grabbing the youth by the shoulders and pushing her out of the room, "Go have some well-deserved rest and play with kids your age. Maybe with Yachiru-chan, ne?"

"No, I will NOT play with Kusajishi-futaichou. And don't treat me like a kid!" she puffed angrily.

"Yes, yes, I've got it," she said in a I'll-play-along-with-this-cute-kid tone, "See you later!" and pushed her out of the door. "Oh, and in case you've forgot, there's a taichou meeting today at noon," she added as an afterthought., opening the door and shutting it after she finished.

_What? A taichou meeting? _Karin thought, puzzled.

_Oh boy, I can't wait to see you at the meeting, _Hyourinmaru said happily.

* * *

Karin stood outside the doors of First Division, where the meeting is to be conducted. _Are you sure it's okay for me to just go in there? I have no idea what I should say or do at a captain's meeting, _she asked Hyourinmaru hesitantly. _Don't worry, just act as usual. I'll be there to guide you. Besides… the taichous… you have nothing to worry about, _Hyourinmaru replied. Feeling a little more reassured, she took a deep breath and pushed open the doors.

"Oh, Hitsugaya-taichou. You've arrived. Please get to your position and we'll start the meeting," Yamamoto-Genryusai Shigekuni, the Soutaichou, said, "Oh and take care to close the doors."

"Hai," Karin replied, a little intimidated by the old man standing at the far corner of the room. She surveyed the room and deduced that she was supposed to stand beside the Eighth and Twelfth Division captains, Shunsui Kyouraku and Mayuri Kurotsuchi. _Great, _she thought as she walked to her position, _of all the person I could be standing next to I have to stand beside a guy in weird clothes and a guy with a weird mask. Especially the masked guy. You can't get any weirder than that. And why is he staring at me?_

The moment the doors were closed, everyone seemed to relax and the tense atmosphere toned down. "Alright, let's get down to business. Firstly, let's take a look at the suggestion box to go through what we think needs improvement," the captain of the First Division said, taking out a cardboard box that said "Suggestions". _Suggestion box? _she thought. The old man reached into the box and pulled out a piece of paper. He cleared his throat and read out, "Why must we always stand when we're at meetings? We're captains, for goodness sake! Are we so poor that we can't get chairs?" Soi Fong, the captain of the Second Division, was nodding as the Soutaichou read out the note.

"Well, I think whoever who wrote that had a point," she said. (Obviously she would think that, seeing as she was the one who wrote that.) "Why can't we get a couple of chairs and sit down?"

The old man coughed to hide his embarrassment, and said, "Well, um, that's because, um, it would be undignified and improper. Wouldn't you agree, Kuchiki-taichou?"

"Sitting down is not against any rules. Neither is standing up. However, I would think that sitting down is more preferable in terms of comfort," Kuchiki Byakuya, the captain of the Sixth Division said coolly. "Dignity is displayed through the way you carry yourself, not your posture." He took out a mirror and began arranging his hair. "As the head of the Kuchiki household and the captain of the Sixth Division, I must say that I would greatly appreciate the presence of chairs."

"Well," Yamamoto said, flustered, "what about you, Zaraki-taichou? What is your opinion on this suggestion?" He turned to the spike-haired taichou with pleading eyes.

"Err," Zaraki Kenpachi, the captain of the Eleventh Division recoiled a little when he saw that look and said, "Don't wanna agree with the old man, but I think that standing is better. If an enemy attacks suddenly, there will be more time to react." He shivered slightly, causing the bells attached to the ends of his hair to ring, and gave an ear-to-ear grin. "Man, I get excited at that thought! Kurosaki!" he shouted to the sky, "Hurry up and attack Soul Society again!"

"Hm hm. That would be interesting. But I would vote in favor of chairs too," the captain of the Eighth Division, Shunsui Kyouraku smiled, and lowered his hat. "That will make it easier to drink my sake. While we're at it, why don't we get a table and a couple of magazines as well?"

The captain of the Thirteenth Division, Ukitake Juushiro smiled fondly at his old friend. "I don't really care for the magazines, but it would be easier for me to sit down." He coughed weakly. "As you all know, my health isn't all too well…" He sniffed and wiped away non-existent tears. "Please take into consideration of this sickly young man's condition…"

"Yes, I do agree that for Ukitake-taichou having ample rest is of utmost importance," Unohana Retsu, the captain of the Fourth Division, said in her gentle voice, "but for the rest of us, standing up is better for our blood circulation. Thus I think that only Ukitake-taichou can have the exception of sitting down."

Komamura Sajin, captain of the Seventh Division, said nothing. He thought, _there probably won't be any chair that will fit me…_

All this time, Karin has been following the conversation with incredulous looks. _These are the captains of the SoulSociety? How… childish!_

_You've only realized it now?_ Hyourinmaru said mockingly. _These are the leaders of Seireitei. Makes you feel reassured, doesn't it?_

Mayuri has also been observing Karin this entire time, and just when Karin has reached the conclusion that Soul Society is doomed, he asked, "What about you, Hitsugaya-taichou? What do you think?"

Karin said the first thing that came into her mind. "When will this stupid meeting end? Do I have to stay here and listen to these geezers talk?" (which is exactly what Hitsugaya would say, I think)

From her reply, Mayuri concluded that it must be Hitsugaya speaking, thus, he concluded sadly, his experiment had failed. He sighed. _Back to the drawing board._

Yamamoto tried to regain control of the situation. "So, who's in favour of putting cahirs in the room?"

"That would be me," Byakuya said, holding up his mirror.

"Shut up, sissy boy. Guess you're too girly to stand up, huh?" Zaraki snarled.

"I dare you to repeat that," the noble said, putting down his mirror and fixing him with his cold stare.

"You're. Too. Girly. To. Stand."

"Hey, what do you mean? You think girls are too weak to stand? Are you saying that girls are weaker than guys?" Soi Fong said angrily, glaring at Zaraki.

"That wasn't what I meant, but it is a fact that girls are weaker than guys," he said cockily.

"What? How dare you!" Soi Fong took a step towards Zaraki, but Unohana, who stood beside her.

"Really, Zaraki-taichou? How about I tell Kusajishi-futaichou what you've just said?" Unohana said gently, and smiled.

That shut Zaraki up.

Byakuya smile slightly. "So, who's the one afraid of a little girl?"

"Shut up! It's better than being a sissy boy!" Zaraki retorted.

"SA-KE! SA-KE! SA-KE! SA-KE!" Shunsui ranted.

"Oh, poor, poor me…" went Ukitake.

Silence from Komamura.

"What exactly went wrong? Was it the…? Or was it…?" Mayuri muttered under his breath.

'Well," Yamamoto said hurriedly, "let's conclude this week's captain's meeting then, shall we?"

"Let's take this outside! Just you and me!" Zaraki shouted to Byakuya as he turned to leave.

"I wouldn't be seen with a barbaric," Byakuya responded calmly.

"What about the chairs?" Soi Fong asked as she too headed for the doors.

"Well, let's go, Shunsui," Ukitake said, suddenly energetic. "Your Nanao-chan is waiting for you on the other side of these doors."

"Nanao-chan!" he screamed, and dashed for the doors.

Komamura walked out without a word.

"What exactly went wrong? I was sure that…" Mayuri muttered as he went out.

"Well, have a nice day," Yamamoto said lamely, coughed and walked out too, leaving Karin alone in the room.

_What the hell?_ Karin thought.

* * *

I'm back! Thank all of you for your patience. I've made this chapter extra long.


	12. An Attack

Mayuri Kurotsuchi buried himself in all sorts of tiny micro parts, muttering under his breath as he works. He was totally oblivious to his surroundings, thus he didn't notice his subordinates edging away from him slowly. The captain has been behaving like this for days, weirder than usual.

"Ano, Mayuri-sama?" Nemu Kurotsuchi, his daughter cum futaichou, was worried. It's like he has became another person. Normally a day doesn't go by withouthim hitting her, yelling at her, or at the very least, calling her names. He has never ignored her. It's like something traumatizing happened to him. _I can't stand Otou-sama like this._ "Are you alright?" She tentatively reached out a hand to touch his shoulder while the rest of the division watched in fear.

"YES! I DID IT!" the masked face taichou announced and suddenly stood up, knocking over Nemu. "Yes! This will work for sure! I've checked and double checked the parts, it's perfect! Yes! Am I a genius or what?!" Mayuri said proudly. It was only then that he realized that his futaichou was sprawled on the floor. _Stupid girl, why is she lying on the floor, _he thought, not realizing that he was the one who caused her to fall, _I can never understand what she's thinking about._

"What are you doing on the floor, girl? Never mind that," he said, rubbing his hands together and chuckling in a sinister fashion, "Let's pay a little visit to our dear neighbor, Hitsugaya-taichou."

* * *

Hitsugaya was walking home with Yuzu, when suddenly he felt a chill going down his spine. _For some reason, I've got a bad feeling… _he thought, shivering. A masked face came into his mind. He shook his head to get rid of the image. _Naa, it can't be…_

"Karin-chan? Are you alright?" Kurosaki Yuzu asked in concern. "Oh, yes, yes I'm okay, thanks for your concern," Hitsugaya snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at her to reassure her. He has no idea why she became even more flustered when he did that. It was then that he felt that he was being watched. He turned around quickly, but saw no one. "Karin-chan? Is something the matter?" "Oh, nothing. Let's go," he reassured quickly and turned to go, but he still couldn't shake of that feeling.

* * *

Hiding behind a lamppost, Jinta heaved a sigh of relief. He thought his heart was about to burst when Karin turned around. Thank goodness his reflexes were quick, if not she might have caught him stalking… no, no, looking out for her. He used his bat to scratch his back. He didn't know why he was behaving this way, just that his body seemed to move on its own when ever he's near Karin. It's not like he likes her… right? _I mean, _he thought hurriedly, _whenever I see her we always argue, and she's such a tomboy, but… _"ARRGGHHH!" he shouted, tearing out his hair. "This is so confusing!"

"What is?" A familiar voice behind him asked. "AHHHHH!" he screamed in alarm. Hitsugaya stared at him with half-opened eyes. _Isn't this is one of the kids in Kisuke's shop, _he thought_, if I remember correctly, his name is… _"Jinta-kun, isn't it? What are you doing, lurking behind a lamppost?"

His heart throbbing furiously, he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, like a goldfish, unable to speak a single word. "Uh, uh… just taking a walk! I'm not doing anything like, stalking people or anything! Nope, no siree! Just taking an innocent walk! Hehe. What about you? What are you doing?" he said, in a flustered and unconvincing manner.

_Okaaay… weirdo alert, _Hitsugaya thought, raising a single eyebrow as he replied him. "I'm walking home from school. Why?"

"Oh nothing, it's just that we haven't fought Hollows together for a long time… not that I miss it, or you for that matter, it's just that… I'M GONNA BE KARAKURA RED!" he shouted, having nothing else to say.

"Huh?" Hitsugaya asked, having completely no idea what he was talking about.

Suddenly, they heard a maniacal laughter. "Bwahahahahaha!" A guy with a moustache wearing weird clothes appeared out of nowhere, placing his arms across his chest in a cross. "SMELLS LIKE BAD SPIRITS!" Don Kan'onji, the superstar, appeared. "How's my favorite students doing?"

"We're not your students!" Jinta replied.

"Huh?" Hitsugaya asked again, still having completely no idea what they were talking about.

"Come children, Karakura needs our protection! We must…" The weird middle aged guy stopped talking as they all sensed the presence of Hollows nearby. "SMELLS LIKE BAD SPIRITS! Let's go, Karakura Reds!"

"Huh?" Hitsugaya repeated as he just ran alongside them. By this time, he realized that no one would update him on what's going on, so he just went along with it.

When they arrived at the park nearby, Hitsugaya realized that it was no longer a joking matter. A gigantic black monster wearing a white mask had appeared. It was a Menos Grande, something even ordinary shinigamis couldn't handle, let alone a kid and an uncle. "Stand back, you two!" he shouted, his hand reaching for his blade, while adopting a defensive pose. When his hand grabbed nothing but air, he remembered that he was now Kurosaki Karin, a human. "Damn it!" he screamed in frustration. _Isn't there… isn't there something I can do? _he thought furiously, frowning.

"What… what an enormous monster! It is indeed a fit opponent for the great Don Kan'onji! Beware, great monster, for your worst enemy is here!" the clueless guy exclaimed, while doing a series of weird hand signs. He cupped his hands at his side, and a blue light ball appeared. "The Fatal Attack of Justice, Golden Kan'onball!" He released the ball of light, and it flew straight to near the bottom of the monster. "Boom!" it went, and "Bwahahahahaha!" Don Kan'onji went. The Menos Grande looked down. There wasn't even a scratch on its body. "Aha… ha… ha… Well, look at the time! I've got to run! It's tough to be an international superstar, you know! Well then, I'll leave it to you, Karakura Red!" he shouted, crossing his arms over his chest again while he was lifted off in a helicopter.

"Oi! Old man! Come back here!" Jinta shouted, waving his bat at the sky. _I've got no choice, _he thought, _but to protect Karin by myself. _He ran a few steps, then jumped up. "Take this! Jinta's Ultimate Attack!" he shouted, and swung his bat at the Hollow's mask. It caused its head to turn a little, but that was all it did. "What?" Jinta exclaimed. "It didn't have any effect at all?" The creature turned to stare at him, and a red ball of energy appeared in front of his mouth.

"Run away! It's Cero!" Hitsugaya warned, but it was too late. Jinta's eyes widened as he saw the red beam approach, and raised his bat in defense, but still suffered a full frontal attack. Blood spurted out of his mouth as he fall through the sky, landing with a huge thud on the sandy ground. A cry of pain escaped his mouth, before he lost consciousness.

"Jinta!" Hitsugaya screamed, and ran towards him. At the sight of the boy's beaten body, fury over took him. He scanned the vicinity for something he could use as a weapon and laid eyes on a soccer ball. _It's not much, but at least it's something, _he thought as he sprinted to the ball. The Menos turned to face him. He reared up his right leg, and kicked it with all he's got. The ball flew at a great speed toward its mask, and this time, the attack caused the monster to tilt backwards from the sheer force. Angered, the monster stored another Cero, preparing to shoot him with it. Hitsugaya ran, and dodged the attack. He ran for the ball again, and aimed it again for its mask. The monster roared in fury as his second attack made contact. The young captain jumped, and before the monster could respond, kicked the ball for a third time. The Menos reared back from the attack. But the monster stored another Cero, and shot it at Hitsugaya while he was still in the air, rendering him unable to move freely, He attempted to dodge it, but the attack still caught his right shoulder and leg.

"Arrgghh!" he screamed in pain as he landed on top of a tree and fell down, rolling on the ground. He looked at his own body. The right side of his body was bloodied, and worse still, he couldn't feel his legs. He looked up at the monster with fear and contempt. He could no longer attack, nor could he escape. As the Menos stored yet another Cero, he felt regret and hate for himself. Regret that he couldn't do anything for Karin while he was in her body, and hate that he was about to get the one he cared the most about hurt. Red filled his vision, and he thought of only one person. _Karin…_

_

* * *

_

Sorry this is so late again! I had to rewatch episode 33 to remember what their attacks were called. Forgive me!


	13. A Sacrifice

Karin sighed over the stacks of paper on her desk. _So this is what a captain does, day after day after day, _she thought. _How exciting… not. _She yawned, and rubbed her eyes. _I hope something happens soon, if not I'll be bored to death. _

_Be careful of what you wish for, my dear, it may just come true! _Hyourinmaru teased. _But it's true that it IS getting a little boring around here. When will we return to your interesting world again?_

_Oh! That's right! Toushiro-kun goes to the living world sometimes! _Karin suddenly realized. _That means I can meet Yuzu, old man, and Toushiro-kun again! _She couldn't help but grin at the thought.

_Do you notice how easy you speak of that brat now? _the ice dragon smiled.

_Shut- shut up! _She blushed, yet kept the smile on her face. While she was bathing in happiness, the door suddenly slammed open and a white blur rushed in. It thrust its face in front of her, and she saw that it was that freakish captain with the weird mask. He grinned, and it sent shivers down her spine. _Careful, no good can come out from him when he's giving you his creepy grin, _Hyourinmaru warned.

"When will you be going to the living world again, Hitsugaya-taichou?" Kurotsuchi Mayuri asked eagerly.

"Er, soon I guess. Why?" she asked cautiously.

"Well, remember that ball I gave you the last time? Now I've upgraded it! It can now absorb reiatsu and increase the force of the attack, in conjunction with the roll-back function! Won't you use it the next time you play soccer with that human girl?" He widened his grin.

Thinking back, Karin remembered Hitsugaya bringing a ball with roll-back function the other time. _Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt, _she thought wrongly. "Oh. Thanks. Is that all?" she said in a cool voice, arching one eyebrow.

"Of course! Of course! I wouldn't want to bother you! Please excuse me," he said, bowing, and turned to leave the room. _Damn brat, you think you're so 'cool' huh? Wait till you turn into a girl, that'll teach you to be rude to the great Mayuri-sama. _

The door burst open again, and this time, it was Matsumoto who rushed in. "Taichou, what are you doing? The portal's already set up and everyone is waiting for you! Mo, did you forget that today we have to return to the living world?"

"Of- of course I didn't forget! It's just that as I was about to leave, Kurotsuchi-taichou dropped in for a visit. Let's go," she said, trying to hide her embarrassment. _Why didn't you tell me about it, Hyourinmaru? _she complained as she walked towards the door. _I'm not an orgainser, or a PDA, how would I know? _it pouted.

As Mayuri watched the young captain walk away, with the ball in his right hand, he smiled ominously.

* * *

In the black tunnel to the living world, Karin felt a sense of unease. Almost as if something bad is happening. She quickened her pace, feeling more and more afraid and anxious. "Slow down, taichou! What are you rushing for?" Matsumoto said, trying to match her speed. "I just have a bad feeling," she replied tersely, breaking into a run.

They reached the end, and Karin pushed open the two sliding doors. An immense pressure weighed down on her body, the air so thick with spiritual energy that breathing becomes difficult. She instinctively raised her arm to block her face from the rushes of energy, and narrowed her eyes to locate the source of the disturbance, and her eyes fell on the enormous monster wearing a mask. A red ball was forming in front of its mouth. She followed its glance, and saw a black-haired girl in school uniform on the floor, clutching her leg. It was… herself. She was stunned for a moment, when she remembered Hitsugaya was in her body.

"Toushiro-kun!" she screamed, and ran towards him, dropping the soccer ball. As she ran, she unsheathed the sword by her side. _Hyourinmaru, lend me a hand! _she thought as she leapt in front of Hitsugaya, blocking the Cero with the side of her blade. The sheer force of the attack caused her to be pushed back a little, but she held her ground and deflected the attack. Hitsugaya opened his eyes and saw a white-haired boy with a white cape in front of him. "Ka… Karin?" he whispered, drained of strength. Karin turned to look at him, and at that moment, Hitsugaya saw the Menos Grande gather yet another Cero. "No!" he said as he pushed her away.

* * *

_Karin, _he thought, as the red beam engulfed him. He could feel the power tearing through his body, but he felt numbed to the pain. He landed on the ground again with a thud when the beam ended. He could no longer feel any part of his body. Each breath hurts, and he could feel blood seeping through his clothes. His eyelids became heavy, and his vision began to blur. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was his own face staring at him, filled with worry and shock. _Karin…

* * *

_

"Toushiro! Toushiro, are you alright?" she asked, kneeling over his wounded body and tounching his shoulder. _No, no, this can't be happening! _she thought as she withdrew her hand that was soaked with blood. _No! No! _An unearthly noise woke her up from her thoughts and emotions. She turned. It was the Hollow. Her eyes narrowed with hatred. _I wouldn't let you get hurt again, _she vowed to herself. _Let's go, Hyourinmaru!

* * *

_

A cold burst of wind was emitted from Karin's body as she ran towards the monster. Resolve filled her eyes. She leapt into the sky, raising her sword. "Rise upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" she screamed, and an enormous ice dragon emerged from her sword. She threw a chain that was connected to the sword towards the Menos Grande, and the ice dragon rushed along the chain towards it. The dragon roared, and the moment its jaws clamped on the monster, ice crystals spread at an amazing speed to all cover the entire Hollow within seconds. As Karin landed back on the floor, the giant ice sculpture shattered into a million pieces.

She ran back towards Hitsugaya. Matsumoto was already there, treating his injuries with basic first aid. "Taichou, we need to bring her to a hospital immediately! There's the boy at Urahara's store too!" "Leave Karin to me! You take Jinta!" she replied, carrying him with a swoop. _Don't die on me, Toushiro!

* * *

_

Urahara Kisuke walked to the field where the attack took place. "My oh my, what's this we have here?" he asked outloud, and used his foot to kick a soccer ball up to land nicely in his out-stretched hand.

* * *

Karin stood worryingly over his bed. Tubes of various kinds were plugged into his body. A machine is monitoring his heart rate and heart pressure. Nurses and doctors had bustled around a moment ago, but it was now quiet. It was so quiet that Karin could hear his ragged breathing. Tears filled her eyes. The doctor said that he probably wouldn't last through the night. The damage done to his lungs were too great. A single tear rolled down her cheek. It fell on his left palm, yet he did not stir. The memory of his pushing her away to save her filled her eyes every time she closed them. "Why didn't you save yourself, you baka? Why? Why must you save me?" she ranted weakly, collapsing at the side bed, tears now flowing freely.

* * *

Matsumoto stood against the door outside her room. She could hear the taichou's cries from there. She closed her eyes. She had never seen him lose control of his emotions like this before. _Karin-chan, _she thought, and her eyes moistened. "Well well, if it isn't Matsumoto-futaichou. Is our young captain inside?" a familiar voice asked. She opened her eyes and stared at a blonde man in clog shoes and a hat. Carrying a soccer ball. "Ki…Kisuke-san?" she said, shocked, "What are you doing here? I think… it's best if you don't bother taichou at the moment…" He walked right by her and opened the door.

"Wait a minute, what are you…" Matsumoto tried to stop him but the shop-keeper shut the door in her face. The sound made Karin look up at the person now on the opposite side of the bed. "What do you want?" she asked in a whisper.

"Don't worry, I don't mean him any harm, Karin-chan," he said.

She immediately became alert and looked at him, shocked. "Why, shocked that I know about the transfer?" he asked, smiling. He held out the soccer ball. "I found this at the field. This is no normal soccer ball," he said, turning the ball around to examine it, "In it, there's a microchip that has a ability to modify a soul to be the exact copy of the other soul that is in contact with the chip. In the case of humans, or things that has a body, it will be exchanged with the other party and the other party with it. Once I figured that out, it was easy to invent something to detect if one's soul has been modified. As I expected," he pulled out a device with a small LED flashing when it was pointed at her and Hitsugaya, "both of you had undergone modifications to your souls, and it led to me suspecting if your bodies were exchanged." The ex-captain of the research and development division tossed the ball over to her. "Just wanted to let you know," he said, and walked off.

Karin stared at the ball in her hand, and the image of the masked-face taichou handing it to her poped into her mind. _So..._ she thought, _it was Kurotsuchi. _Surprisingly, she did not feel any anger towards him. All she had room for in her heart was the grief and guilt she felt for Hitsugaya. She continued staring at the ball. An idea formed in her mind. She took the ball in both hands, and leaned down to kiss him.

* * *

Hitsugaya opened his eyes. All the pain he felt a moment ago seemed to have lifted. He found that he was kissing Karin. "Karin!" he exclaimed, before he realized that they were each in their own bodies. _No, I'm supposed to be suffering, not her! What happened? _he thought, confused and anxious. The machine that beeped regularly in time with her heart beat suddenly went "BLEEEEEEEEP!" He turned to look at the moniter. There was zero pulse rate. "Karin!" he screamed.

* * *

Whoo hoo! i'm near the end now! The next chapter will be the final one, so pls continue reading! Thanks for your support thus far! (Sorry this is late again. Gomenasai!)


	14. Parting

Karin opened her eyes. She felt weird, as if she was so light she could fly. She saw Hitsugaya looking at her with tear-stained eyes, with a lost look on his face. "Gomen, Karin," he said, a single tear trickling down, "I couldn't save you…" He trailed off, looking at the hospital bed. Karin followed his gaze. A person was lying on the bed, with a blanket covering its whole body, including the face. She took a step towards the bed, and became conscious of a clinking sound. She looked down, and saw that there was a chain coming out from her chest. The chain seemed to be linked between her and the person on the bed previously, but was now broken. She realized intuitively that the person on the bed was her, and that she was dead.

"Gomen," she heard, a whisper so soft that she nearly didn't catch it. "Gomen. Gomen. Gomen. Gomen. Gomen…" he muttered continuously. No matter what he said, he couldn't voice out his sadness, his regret, his helplessness, his guilt, in her death. He berated himself so much, he would have killed himself had it not been for the fact that Karin had lost her life saving his. The mere thought of suicide would be insulting her. He was the captain of the tenth division, for god's sake! Yet he could not even save a life, a single life that mattered so much to him. _What good is power, _he thought bitterly, _if it could not even save her… _"Gomen. Gomen. Gomen."

Two hands clamped down on his shoulder, jerking him out of his trance-like state. The strings of apologies stopped as he stared into her deep, dark, eyes. Tears flowed out helplessly from his eyes. He opened his mouth to utter yet another apology, but Karin put a finger on his lips. "Stop," she said simply, her face a mask of tranquility. She had known this would happen when she decided to make the transfer. What she had not anticipate was how much sorrow and grief Hitsugaya had to go through on her behalf. For his sake, she smiled, and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. She closed her eyes to enjoy this closeness, to feel his warmth. His tears fell onto her head, as he clutched onto her tightly, closing his eyes too. The chain clinked and clacked between them.

"Ne, Toushiro-kun," she whispered gently, "bring me to Soul Society."

He opened his eyes. "You want me to conduct a Soul Burial on you?" he asked, a little shocked.

"So that's what it's called. Yes, that's what I want you to do. You, and no one else, to bring me to Soul Society." Her arms tightened around him, and he knew that she was afraid, no matter what she said. "Onegai. Do this for me. I've seen enough spirits to know that nothing good happens when they stay in the living world too long after they… died. Besides," she said with a weak smile, "it's not like I've never been there before."

She could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he contemplated her request. _I owe it to her to do this, _he thought, arriving at his decision. "Wagata," he said slowly, "wagata." They broke off their embrace reluctantly, and Hitsugaya unsheathed his sword. He held the back end towards her, his hands slightly trembling. Karin smiled and said, "See you on the other side." He smiled back, "Ja ne." She placed her hands ontop of his, and together, they thrust the sword towards her head. A stamp appeared on her head, and she slowly disappeared. "Did you know," she said softly as she disappeared, "I've been having a crush on you." Hitsugaya widened his eyes, then said, "Me too!"

But she was already gone.

"I love you too," he whispered.

* * *

That's it. The last chapter. But i decided to make an epilougue, or whatever you call it at the end of a story! It's been a long road, writing this story, and i want to thank all of you out there for supporting this story, for being my pillar of strength. Thanks! 


	15. Epilogue: Happily Ever After

_Fifteen Years Later_

* * *

"Hitsugaya Ryuushiro!" A young boy, aged about 5 years old, skidded to a halt. He could recognize that voice from miles away. He gulped. Turning slowly, he saw the dreaded figure of doom. His mother.

"How many times must I tell you to stop performing shikai in front of other kids? You'll scare them!" A woman with black hair to her waist level chided, hands on her hips. She wore a shinigami's uniform, and in addition, wore a white cape that said "Third" over it.

Ryuushiro pouted, and muttered under his breath, "It's not my fault that they're such scaredy cats. It's only a sword."

"What's that?" she asked shrewdly, black eyes flashing. He jumped, not expecting her to have heard that. He tried giving her the puppy dog eyes. This method works on most females, as they seem to find his pleading teal eyes irresistible. His mother, however, was not like most females. "Don't you give me that look! It's not going to work!" The captain of the Third Division marched towards the little boy and caught a firm hold of his left ear, causing the boy to cry out in pain. "You're going to apologize to them, you hear me?" she said while pulling him by the ear.

"Ah! Ah! Ouch! Ah!" he cried out in pain. Just when things seemed hopeless for the child, a grandfatherly figure appeared. "Ukitake-jiichan!" he shouted, and squirmed and wriggled out of her grasp and hid behind his legs, peeping at his mother's reaction from the side. "Ukitake-jiichan, save me!" he exclaimed, looking up to the retired taichou's face. "What have you gotten yourself into again, you little imp?" Ukitake asked as he ruffled the boy's hair. "Hey, don't mess up my hair!" he complained, putting his hands protectively over his head. The boy has sprouted a croup of thick black hair, with a single white strip down the middle. (visualize a skunk) He would always spike his hair, just like his father. He smiled fondly at the child. Ryuushiro has helped him liven up his retirement days, to say the least. The ex-captain of the twelth division looked at the fuming mother and said, "Now, now, Karin-chan, don't get so angry. He's just a child."

Karin sighed, and Ryuushiro could tell that Ukitake-jiichan had won. "Ukitake-taichou, you shouldn't spoil him too much, you know. He's already spoilt as it is." She turned to Ryuushiro with a stern look, making him jump behind Ukitake again. "I'm not going to punish you, Shiro-chan, I just want you to promise me that you will apologize to the kids, you hear?" she said gently. He peeked out from the side of his 'shield' and nodded. She held out her hand and he plodded obediently to her. As the pair was about to go, Karin turned back to Ukitake and said, "Oh, and please stop giving him so much sweets. It'll spoil his dinner. Let's go, Shiro-chan. Off to find your father." Ukitake watched the mother and son pair leave with a smile. _They're like a heartwarming family sitcom, _he thought, as he too left the place leaning on his walking stick.

* * *

"Soutaichou! There has been an increase in the sighting of Hollows near the coast of Florida!" a member from the scouting team reported.

"Send an order to Kurosaki Ichigo-taichou to get on the case. Ask him to report to me by the end of the day. I'll personally brief him on the case." A young man sat on the chair, supporting his face with his left arm, looking bored.

"Soutaichou! The Eleventh Division has 23 wounded seats, 11 of them in critical condition!" a shinigami from the Eleventh Division reported worriedly.

"Inform Unohana-taichou about the number of causalties. Ask Kusajishi-taichou to see me." _That makes it the, what, third time I had to see her this week?_ he thought, sighing inwardly.

_If you count the time where she created a scene at the living world, and you had to clear up her mess, this would make it the FOURTH time you're seeing her this time, _a icy voice in his head told him. He rubbed his temples. Since becoming the Soutaichou, he hasn't had a moment's peace. He sighed inwardly again. And it's not like he could get a piece of mind at home either. He had tried to deny the position for Soutaichou, but the candidates were only him and Kusajishi, so, everyone else decided to sacrifice his peace for the sake of Seireitei. _Had I known this would happen I would have threatened them with my death.. _

"Soutaichou! The paper supply at the Tenth Division is running low!" A vein popped. _Couldn't Matsumoto deal with the problem of finding more paper?_

"Soutaichou! The Twelth Division is found attempting to break prisoner Kurotsuchi Mayuri out of the Penance Tower again!" Another vein popped. He ran his hand through his crop of spiked white hair. Every since he threw him into prison decades ago (for what he did, he ought to have been killed), the next taichou, Kurotsuchi Nemu, has been defying orders to leave him alone and has been leading 'rescue teams'. "Ask her to see me later before dusk," he replied curtly.

"Soutaichou!" cried another.

"What?!" he asked, voice lined with irritation.

"Your wife… Kurosaki-taichou is here." And he cringed at the sight of his wife standing at the door, arms folded. All activities ceased as everyone in the room held their breath so as to not set off the human time bomb.

"Soutaichou!" she called out, with a tinge of indignation. She stared at him in the eye and said forcefully, "In case you haven't notice, it's already past noon." Everyone in the room shivered with fear, fear for their Soutaichou. Kurosaki Karin was known for her insistence on having family meals together (a habit inherited from her father). Hitsugaya Toushiro was in for it. _What excuse do you have this time?_ she thought, sending him the question.

"Well, Kurosaki-taichou, as you can see, I'm still up to my arms in work. Perhaps you can eat with Ryuushiro first. I will join you as soon as I can," he said, appearing cool and collected, as always. _Look, Karin, I really can't leave with you right now. How would it look like to the rest of the world if the Soutaichou took lunch break because his wife told him to? _he thought, sending it to Karin. Ever since the… incident, they shared a connection, thus they were able to hear each other thoughts when they willed it. _Oh, so the great almightly Soutaichou is henpecked? The whole world already knows! Get on with it!_ Hyourinmaru decided to put in his two cents worth.

_Shut it! _they thought at the same time (and it seems that they had a connection with Hyourinmaru as well). _Just this once, Karin! I'll do the dishes for two weeks, _he pleaded. Karin sniffed as she said, "Very well, I see that you're busy. Then please join us at a time you deem fit." She turned and walked around. Everyone in the room heaved a sigh of relief. Hitsugaya cleared his throat and asked, "Well, is there any other urgent matters?" He paused for a second before continuing, "Well, if that is all, please take a short break before resuming your work," and hurried out of the room. One said, "He must have it tough, having Kurosaki-taichou as a wife." Everyone nodded and solemnly saluted him.

* * *

Hitsugaya found his wife and child sitting under the cherry blossoms tree, having a picnic. As he approached, he saw Karin stiffen and pointedly looked away. He sighed inwardly again. "I'm sorry, okay? I came as fast as I could. Forgive me?" he said, giving her an apologetic smile. Karin looked at the smiling young man, and her heart melted. She kissed him on the lips and said, "Mo, I could never stay angry with you." He kissed her back, and said, "And I'm such a lucky man to marry a woman who loves me so much." They grinned at each other.

"Euugghhh!" Ryuushiro said. They turned and looked at their child, and ruffled his hair. "Hey! Don't mess up my hair!" he said indignantly. Karin and Toushiro stared at each other, and burst out laughing while Ryuushiro pouted. _And they lived happily ever after, _Hyourinmaru said. _Shut up, _they said, but didn't really mean it as they exchange another kiss.

* * *

Whoots! It's finished! Actually, to what one of you has commented, i do agree that Hitsugaya is a little ooc... but i thought it makes him seem sweeter? i dunno. sorry if i've crushed your image of Hitsugaya. Well, here i'll like to thank all of you who are reading this fanfic and likes it. Especially those that has been reading this since the very beginning and encouraging me with all the positive reviews. Your comments made me feel more confident as a writer. Arigatougosaimatsu!


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